Heparin interference in whole blood sodium measurements in a pediatric setting

Objectives In a pediatric setting, the incomplete filling of heparinized syringes is not an uncommon occurrence and has led to reports of falsely low hyponatremia in our institution. Little is known about heparin interference on sodium determination in whole blood, and our study aimed to investigate this interference due to excessive concentrations of heparin in pediatric specimens. Design and methods Three different types of syringes were filled with various amounts of blood to mimic greater than normal concentrations of heparin. Specimens were analyzed on an ABL 725 blood gas analyzer, and corresponding plasma fractions were analyzed on a VITROS 950 chemistry system. In a separate study, paired patient samples consisting of a capillary tube and microtainer clot were similarly analyzed. Results The presence of lithium heparin at 100 units/mL in blood caused a significant negative bias of 2–3 mmol/L in sodium concentration with the ABL 725, but no significant bias occurred when the corresponding plasma fraction was analyzed on the VITROS 950. For syringes containing electrolyte-balanced heparin, a similar negative bias was observed for blood but was not significant. Capillary tubes contained high concentrations of heparin (>100 units/mL) even when completely filled. Sodium results from capillary samples averaged 3.4 mmol/L lower than the corresponding serum values. These effects were independent of the sodium concentration across a wide range. Conclusions Small blood volumes collected with heparinized sampling devices in pediatric samples lead to excess heparin that may significantly affect sodium determinations and spur false reports of critical hyponatremia.